Buyer Research

2015 Chevrolet Equinox — Should You Buy One?

Typical asking price: $8,000–$13,000. There are 2 high-severity known issues you need to know before handing over a check.

Deciding between model years? Compare the 5 Chevrolet Equinox years we've written up →

Kestrel Take

A popular, roomy crossover with the same oil-hungry 2.4L that plagued the earlier ones. The 3.6L V6 avoids the engine problem entirely and is the version to want. Check the oil, the timing chain, and skip the four unless it has a spotless history.

What we checked

Partly reconciled against public records, 2026-09-25

NHTSA holds 679 owner complaints for the 2015 Chevrolet Equinox, and 2 recall campaigns.

A big number here usually means a lot of these were sold, not that it is a bad vehicle — popular models collect more complaints for the same rate of trouble. So the total on its own says little. What is worth reading is the shape of it. 41% of them are about one thing — glass, wipers and mirrors. That much concentration is a genuine pattern rather than background noise, and it is the first thing to check on any example you look at.

2 recall campaigns cover this model year. Recalls are repaired free, for any owner, with no time limit on most safety campaigns — but only if someone books it in. Ask the seller to show it was done, or have any dealer check the VIN; it takes them a couple of minutes and costs nothing.

Not written up yet: glass, wipers and mirrors (279 complaints), the transmission and drivetrain (63 complaints). Those groups are in the public record and are not covered by the issues below. Treat them as something to ask about, not as absent.

Counts come from the NHTSA complaint and recall database — free, public, and worth checking yourself.

Known Issues for the 2015 Chevrolet Equinox

Ranked by wallet impact. These are documented, recurring problems — not freak accidents. How we decide that.

2.4L excessive oil consumptionHigh — wallet impact

Piston-ring design burns a quart every 1,000-1,500 miles; subject to a class-action settlement. Running low starves the engine.

Repair cost (estimate): $3,000-$5,000 for a ring job — about 48% of what this car is typically worth

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the engine (231).

Timing chain stretch (2.4L)High — wallet impact

Caused by chronic low oil. Cold-start rattle and correlation codes.

Repair cost (estimate): $1,500-$2,800 — about 27% of what this car is typically worth

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the engine (231).

Fuel pump and injector failuresMedium

High-pressure pump failures on the direct-injected 2.4.

Repair cost (estimate): $600-$1,200

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the fuel system (35).

AC condenser leaksMedium

Common GM crossover complaint.

Repair cost (estimate): $600-$1,500

Source: not yet checked against public records.

Walk-Away Red Flags

✗Owner says it uses a little oil
✗Blue smoke or cold-start rattle
✗Oil level below the dipstick range
✗Deferred oil changes

Good Signs

✓3.6L V6 — no oil consumption
✓Documented ring replacement under the settlement
✓Oil consumption test passed